Dominican, Haiti broadcasters wage a battle of the airwaves

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Telecom Institute president José Del Castillo on Sunday acknowledged that radio and telephone interferences from Haiti affect the border region, where broadcasters wage a battle of the airwaves.

He said he expects Dominican Republic’s recently-appointed ambassador in Port-au-Prince will meet with Haitian airwaves regulators to find a solution to the problem.

The official confirmed reports from  Elías Piña province of interference with Dominican radio broadcasts from the Haitian side.

Interviewed by Héctor Herrera Cabral on Telesistema Channel 11, Del Castillo affirmed that when a person with a roaming service arrives in Pedernales province, they receive a signal from a Haitian telephone company.

“This situation affects our sovereignty in one way or another, because the radio-electric space of the Dominican Republic is being invaded openly, spreading music, elements and information that are not typical of our culture, and it’s being penetrated illegally,” he said.

He admitted however of a similar but inverted is situation along the northern border where Dominican broadcasters penetrate Haitian territory, but have done so to counter transmissions from the neighboring nation that reached part of the country. “We are coordinating with the Haitian authorities to visit Haiti, and coordinating with its regulatory body to establish actions.”